Activiation in Daz Programs vs. Stardock's activiation...
Daz's policy on activiation is different, way different than Stardock!
Monday, August 14, 2006 by SuiteLife | Discussion: Community
I posted this thread on DAZ's forums this week and it had a lot of positive replies. Daz customers want freedom and this is why they sell so much. I personally have gotten $100s of dollars of items (software and models) from Daz. I just can't understand how a $549.00 program (Carrara 5 Pro) can safely have no activation and Windowblinds that cost $20 does.
"See the below article and click on the external link for the replies on the DAZ official forum!
I posted a thread on the Daz forums recently about activiation in Poser and it made me think. Will Daz software ever contain activiation? I hope not. Since this is one big issue for me in buying software. All of my software is legally licensed, but I don't like the fact that I need to ask for permission everytime I install the software. Daz doesn't do this yet, but others have.
This is one big reason I haven't upgraded to Photoshop CS or GoLive CS2. I have the money but don't agree to activation for legal use. (I hate illegal use since this is hurting me the most, over the companies since I have to deal with it. At least in my mind.)
Stardock is another company that joined the activiation bandwagon. Again, I haven't brought an upgraded copy of their software since activiation became required.
Simply put, Daz, please don't put activiation on your software. It's great that way it is and all activiation does in the end is punish legal users. Illegal users are still going to illegally find ways to break the activiation. Just look at Adobe, very shortly after Photoshop CS (and the whole CS2 suite) was released their was a crack released online for breaking the activiation code.
Now all legal users have to do activiation while illegal users are still using the software. ILLEGALLY!"
"See the below article and click on the external link for the replies on the DAZ official forum!
I posted a thread on the Daz forums recently about activiation in Poser and it made me think. Will Daz software ever contain activiation? I hope not. Since this is one big issue for me in buying software. All of my software is legally licensed, but I don't like the fact that I need to ask for permission everytime I install the software. Daz doesn't do this yet, but others have.
This is one big reason I haven't upgraded to Photoshop CS or GoLive CS2. I have the money but don't agree to activation for legal use. (I hate illegal use since this is hurting me the most, over the companies since I have to deal with it. At least in my mind.)
Stardock is another company that joined the activiation bandwagon. Again, I haven't brought an upgraded copy of their software since activiation became required.
Simply put, Daz, please don't put activiation on your software. It's great that way it is and all activiation does in the end is punish legal users. Illegal users are still going to illegally find ways to break the activiation. Just look at Adobe, very shortly after Photoshop CS (and the whole CS2 suite) was released their was a crack released online for breaking the activiation code.
Now all legal users have to do activiation while illegal users are still using the software. ILLEGALLY!"
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starkers
Reply #22 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 2:19 PM
Other than perhaps a temporary disruption once in a blue moon, I always have phone and internet connections, so activation is not a problem for me. And IF I had a short period of downtime, it's not the fault of Stardock, MS and it would only represent a temporary delay, not a permanent disabling of my software....it's not that big of an inconvenience, really.
Also, I do not see any negativity or burning at the stake here....generally it's just people saying that activation isn't an issue for them, or expressing their opinion that software companies have the right to take intellectual property protection measures. And even if some were to more strongly argue the point, didn't you invite them to debate your views by posting your thread here?
Reply #22 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 2:19 PM
| On another note, Starkers, what happens when you lose your internet connection and have no phone line? It has happen to me, opps no software I guess. |
Other than perhaps a temporary disruption once in a blue moon, I always have phone and internet connections, so activation is not a problem for me. And IF I had a short period of downtime, it's not the fault of Stardock, MS and it would only represent a temporary delay, not a permanent disabling of my software....it's not that big of an inconvenience, really.
Also, I do not see any negativity or burning at the stake here....generally it's just people saying that activation isn't an issue for them, or expressing their opinion that software companies have the right to take intellectual property protection measures. And even if some were to more strongly argue the point, didn't you invite them to debate your views by posting your thread here?
boss0190
Reply #23 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 3:45 PM
Reply #23 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 3:45 PM
I suppose Forums and Blogs would be pretty boring places without people feeling the need to whine about things. Oh, that reminds me....about the ratings here........
Frogboy
Reply #24 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 5:53 PM
Reply #24 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 5:53 PM
This is an interesting discussion.
But consider this: The only reason we can afford to sell WindowBlinds for only $20 is because we have activation.
Stardock activation is not designed to foil casual pirates nor is it some sort of digital rights management system (i.e. we don't care if you put it on your home, work and laptop PC). It's designed for the long-term pirate who doesn't want to keep having to go look for a cracked copy every time ther'es an update and $20 is worth it to not have to deal with the hassle.
If we were selling a $500 program we probably wouldn't bother with activation either because our system wouldn't really work at that point. Avoiding having to pay $500 is probably worth hassle to most pirates. By contrast, $20 is the price of 6 gallons of gas. For someone with a job, the time it takes to find a torrent, download it, and hope it works (Because a lot of them don't or have problems) costs them more in time than $20.
WindowBlinds 5 sales (first version with activation) are three times higher than the sales of WindowBlinds 4. So it does work.
Without activation, WindowBlinds 5 would have been $24.95 instead of $19.95.
Frogboy
Reply #25 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 5:57 PM
Reply #25 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 5:57 PM
| Also with Stardock's policy, I have to have a internet connection at some point to install the software. What if I don't want to rely on the internet to use my software? (And my phone for that matter.) If I buy software, I would like for it to be useable and installable from a box, with no outside connection required. I don't require the company to inform me when they spend my money that they got from the sale do I? Why should I let then know when I installed the software. (Okay, maybe that isn't exactly the same thing, but the concept is there.) |
Considering the only way to purchase WindowBlinds presently is on the Internet, this is kind of a moot point. You don't need to have a net connection to activate. If you activate off-line, it will give you instructions on how to activate it without that computer ever being on the Internet.
Pipsty
Reply #26 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 7:43 PM
Reply #26 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 7:43 PM
I would pay $25 not to have activation. I've had 3 problems with Stardock programs, the last time I just stopped using that program, the first two times I sent a email to Stardock and got them resolved but I didn't bother the next time as I seldom used that particular program. Makes one reluctant to update despite having a subscription. Photoshop CS2 will insist on reactivation over the slightest change (on my system anyway). And I agree with the comment about what if the company disappears or is bought out. It has happened. Regardless of whether it works seamlessly or not, it just irks me. If WB had activation when I first looked at it, I probably wouldn't have bought it. But now I am so used to it and hate using a machine without it, I guess I'll just have to put up with it.
starkers
Reply #27 Thursday, August 17, 2006 1:35 AM
Reply #27 Thursday, August 17, 2006 1:35 AM
Software activation don't seem a lot different to electonic banking to me....you stick your (digitally signed to you) card in the slot to get money out, but still you've got to key in your pin number to activate the card before it will let you proceed.....
Motor vehicles began with crank handles which were wound up to start them....they then progressed to starter buttons and eventually to ignition keys specific to each vehicle. So, in this day and age of rampant theft, we have to not only unlock our cars to get in, we have to put a key in the ignition to start it as well (a greater inconvenience than when cars first emerged) but I don't hear anyone complaining about having to mess with two locks to drive away their car/truck....that its harder to steal than the old T Model.
It's the natural progression of things to improve security features, and given that theft and piracy are of a great cost to the community (manufacturers and consumers alike), it's seen as in the common good to implement more sophisticated anti theft/piracy measures. There's no point in blaming the companies, they're trying to protect the businesses that ultimately serve you, the buying public. Alternatively, look to the thieves and pirates, but instead of just complaining, turning a blind eye and saying nothing, do something!!!!!
I had a neighbour who invited me in to see his computer setup, and when he bragged about having several cracked copies of various programs, including some from Stardock, I hit the roof and informed the authorities. Don't know exactly what they did to him, but he no longer has the programs or the internet....is back to running Windows 95 because even his copy of XP was pirated. If more people made it their business to report crimes such as these, then perhaps we'll see companies easing back on activation measures, etc.
Motor vehicles began with crank handles which were wound up to start them....they then progressed to starter buttons and eventually to ignition keys specific to each vehicle. So, in this day and age of rampant theft, we have to not only unlock our cars to get in, we have to put a key in the ignition to start it as well (a greater inconvenience than when cars first emerged) but I don't hear anyone complaining about having to mess with two locks to drive away their car/truck....that its harder to steal than the old T Model.
It's the natural progression of things to improve security features, and given that theft and piracy are of a great cost to the community (manufacturers and consumers alike), it's seen as in the common good to implement more sophisticated anti theft/piracy measures. There's no point in blaming the companies, they're trying to protect the businesses that ultimately serve you, the buying public. Alternatively, look to the thieves and pirates, but instead of just complaining, turning a blind eye and saying nothing, do something!!!!!
I had a neighbour who invited me in to see his computer setup, and when he bragged about having several cracked copies of various programs, including some from Stardock, I hit the roof and informed the authorities. Don't know exactly what they did to him, but he no longer has the programs or the internet....is back to running Windows 95 because even his copy of XP was pirated. If more people made it their business to report crimes such as these, then perhaps we'll see companies easing back on activation measures, etc.
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Reply #21 Wednesday, August 16, 2006 2:18 PM
What? Why would Apple need activation? OSX only works on Apple hardware. You can't just go out and buy Apple parts and put together your own Mac. (Well, maybe you could, but I haven't heard of anyone doing it.) Windows, and other software for Windows has a much larger problem with piracy than the selective OSX.